Art work creators’ concerns not muted

Mute Meadow, the largest public artwork in Ireland, was illuminated for the first time on Saturday night. Created by London based artists Claire Oboussier and Vong Phaophanit, the iconic artwork is part of the continuing social and cultural transformation of Derry~Londonderry, as it gets set to become the first UK City of Culture in 2013. Located at Ebrington, a former British military base, the artwork is part of a wider redevelopment project to connect the communities living on both sides of the riverbank and create a new shared space. Picture by Brian Morrison

Published:12:57Friday 15 June 2012

Share this article

The creators of Mute Meadow - the largest public artwork in Ireland - have hit out at the failure to get it working.

Vong Phaophanit, Turner prize nominee and his co-creator, Claire Oboussier, have voiced their deep concern over the fact that it’s not yet operational. The Ebrington public artwork cost £800,000 and consists of 40 upright metal poles meant to illuminate in colours at night. However, apart from testing, the Ilex-managed artwork has only been switched on once - to mark last year’s official opening of the Peace Bridge.

Creator Vong Phaophanit, Turner prize nominee and his co-creator, Claire Oboussier, have said: “The protracted process in resolving the issues associated with the fabrication of the work concerns us deeply and we are as distressed and disappointed as everyone else that the work is not yet fully operational.” A spokesperson for Ilex said there was a “break” in the project while Ebrington Square - which opened on February 14 - was being completed. She added “a number of issues are being addressed” to enable Mute Meadow to be working “very soon. “Technicians are on site this week working on both the electrical and computer systems that drive the project. A period of testing will then be required to ensure that the operating systems are fully functional and resilient.”